Latvala joins Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and a handful of relative unknowns running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Latvala is planning to announce his bid at a series of rallies next Wednesday.

“I’ll give you a little news this morning,” Latvala said at an education event last week, “one of the places that I’m going to address that is right here. Right here in Panama City.”

He’ll also visit Hialeah and Clearwater. The brash lawmaker came to control the Senate’s purse strings after cutting a deal to abandon his run for senate president. Latvala’s campaign committee is sitting on nearly $4 million.